Playing Through the Pain

Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever

By: Dan Good

Narrated by: Tom Parks

In Playing Through the Pain, writer Dan Good seeks to make sense of MLB MVP Ken Caminiti's fascinating, troubled life. Good began researching Caminiti in 2012 and conducted his first interviews for his biography in 2013. Since then, he's interviewed nearly 400 people, providing him with an exclusive and exhaustive view into Caminiti's addictions, use of steroids, baseball successes, and inner turmoil.

Decades later, the full truth about Major League Baseball's steroids era remains elusive, and the story of Caminiti, the player who opened the lid on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, has never been properly told. Caminiti voluntarily admitted in a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover story that he used steroids during his career, including his 1996 MVP season, and guessed that half of the players were using performance-enhancing drugs.

Good's on-the-record sources include Caminiti's steroids supplier, who has never come forward; people who attended rehab with Caminiti and revealed the secret inner trauma that fueled his addictions; hundreds of Caminiti's baseball teammates and coaches; childhood friends who were drawn to his daring personality, warmth, and athleticism; and the teenager at the center of Caminiti's October 2004 trip to New York City, during which he overdosed and died.

©2022 Dan Good (P)2022 Tantor

Just Say No… to this book

I wanted to like this more, I really did, but it was more of an apologetic and justifying account of Ken Caminiti’s steroid use. I think if they cleaned up some of the language, this would be great for young athletes unsure if performance-enhancing drugs are for them.

heartbreaking

As a kid watching him play, I had no idea of all of his internal struggles.
I do think that the narrator mispronounced several names or was inconsistent. Well... that's not how they were pronounced for years by commentators.

A biography of the player

The title makes steroid use the focus but the book is a biography. Interesting story nonetheless.

So sad...

Caminiti was one of my heros. I miss him... Hearing this breaks my heart honestly.

Sad story — painful

Ken was one of the players I’ll remember forever. I remember him signing autographs outside the players parking lot at astrodome. I stood there in awe….it’s sad to hear how far he fell. I feel for his ex wife and daughters.

Dull Reader, decent story

Reader is boring. Very boring. Story is pretty good but mostly reads like one long box score or reading stats off baseball reference.

Also creatine is nothing like anabolics or hgh. Creatine isn’t bad. It isn’t a hormone. It is an energy system used in our bodies (ATP-pCr system). Creatine, which has been researched and proven to be very good for everyone, shouldn’t even be in the same conversation as any steroids or hormones.

A thorough & well researched story of Caminiti

Though very sad for those of us who loved Ken Caminiti to read, this was a well researched & thorough documentation of his life. He was one of a kind and a joy to watch, but knowing all he went through is heartbreaking. The main drawback for me were the mispronunciations of key names of many San Diego players & coaches by the narrator. There were so many it must be hard, but it was distracting to this reader.

Snoozer

Too long, too boring, awful narrator that was so dull I can’t believe I made it through the sample.